Rope-measure.



W. L. HOBBIE.

ROPE MEASURE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 8. 1915.

Patented Sept. 28, 1915.

wi rmeooeos WILLIAM Id. HOBBIE, 0F DOWNS, ALABAMA.

ROPE-MEASURE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patentd Sept. 28,1915.

Application filed May 8, I915. Serial No; 26,862.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. HOBBIE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Downs, in the county of Macon and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rope-Measures, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rope measuring machines, and more especially to those which have a predetermined stop; and the object of the same'is to improve the general construction of such machine, particularly with respect to its stop. This and-other objects are carried out in the manner hereinafter more fully described and claimed. and as shown in the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, Fig. 2 a front elevation, and Fig. 3 a detail of the stop mechanism.

In the drawings the numeral 1 designates a box for receiving the coil of rope, wire, or

other material to be measured by this machine, and 2 and 3 are uprights'secured to the top of the box by brackets 4 and connected at their upper ends by a block 5. Between these uprights is disposed a drum 6 havingfianges 7 along its edges and hubs 8 which space it from the uprights, its shaft 9 being mounted in suitable bearings so that it may rotate freely. One end of the shaft carries a cam 10 outside the upright, the cam engaging the lower end of a rod 11 which slides in guides 12 on this upright and is normally retracted by means of spring 13.

A cylindrical casing 14 is carried by the upper end of this upright and has an open ing 15 in its front side through which the counting or registering mechanism (not shown) may be observed, and said counter has mounted fast on its shaft a ratchet 16 which is engaged and actuated by the reciprocating movements of the rod 11. The periphery of the drum measures thirty-six inches, the cam 10 has one projection, and the counter is of such type that a reciprocation of the rod 11 causes it to indicate one yard more through the opening 15.

The rope, wire, or other article i being measured is coiled within the box 1, led upward through a hole 20 in its top, alongside a feeder 22 and over a roller 23, which are of the drumthe rope passes off the same bedisposed between the uprights at the bottom of the drum as seen in Fig. 2, and thence around said drum for one and a half revolutions so as to prevent slipping. .At the top neath a roller 19 and between guides 17 which are carried by springs 18; and the block5 may carry a blade 28 by means of WlllCll the rope can be out 01f after it 'has been measured. a i

Carried by one end of the drum isa spring finger 26 having its forward end in the direct1on of rotation attached to the drum and its rearward end free, and in rear of this fin ger a stop 27 is secured to the drum with its fiat front face standing opposite the free,

end of the finger. Pivoted iifside one up right 3 is a lever 29 whose handle end projects as best seen in Fig. 1 and whose other or working end is inturned into a foot 25; and means are provided for preventing its working end, from dropping out of the path of the finger 26 and stop 27 As indicated in Fig. 3,'said means consists of a stop or In the use of this device, a coil of rope, I

wire, etc., is placed within the box and its free end led out the. hole 20, over roller 23, once and a'half times around the drum, under the roller 19, and between the guides 17. With the parts standing in their normal position, let us assume that it is desired to sell ten yards of rope to a purchaser. The salesman grasps the free end of the rope with one hand and draws on it. Meanwhile,

with his other hand he depresses the handle 29 so as to raise the foot 25 from between the finger and stop, and the spring 31 holds it raised. Continuing to draw on the rope,

each time the drum makes one revolution the cam 10 raises the rod 11 and advances the counter within the casing 14, and when the figure exposed through the opening 15 shows that nine yards have been drawn ofl' the salesmanraises the handle 29 so that the inner'end of thellever drops onto the block 30. The next time the spring finger and stop reach the foot 25, the former will pass under it but the stop 27 will strike it and the rotation of the drum will be checked.

The rope. is thencut off as by{ drawing it across the blade 28, and the machine stands at rest until another sale is to be made. It

finger 26, and the result is that the drum cannot be turned accidentally in either direction. Therefore a subsequent operator who desires to'unreel another stretch ofrope will have his attention called to this fact and will note the figure on the counter at the time he moves the lever; and it will be unlikely that persons unfamiliar with the machine will turn the drum iii-either direction undesirably.

What I claim is:

1. In a rope-measure, the combination with a receptacle, a pair of uprights rising from the receptacle, rollers journaled between them near their upper and lower ends, a drum also j-ournaled between them and disposed between said rollers, acam on the drum shaft, and guides for the rope; of a counting device having a ratchet on its shaft, guides on one upright, a rod mounted therein and having one end engaged by v said cam and the other end engaging said ratchet, a stop on one end of the drum, and

a lever pivoted toone upright and having an inturned foot standing normally in the path of said stop.

2. In a rope measurlng machine, the comblnation w1th a pair of uprights, a flanged drum j ournaled between them and of predetermined length around its circumference, a cam on the drum shaft, counting mechanism, and means for advancing the latter one number at each rotation of the cam; of a block secured inside one upright, a lever pivoted between its ends inside the same upright with a projecting handle at one end and its inner end resting normally on said block and having an inturned foot, a tension spring for holding the lever set, a spring finger secured at its forward end to the drum in the direction of rotation of" the latter and having its rearward end outstanding from said drum and lying in the path of the normal position of said foot, and a -fiXed stop secured to the drum in rear of said rearward endof the finger, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM L. HOBBIE.

Witnesses:

J. M. SANKEY, J. M. JOLLEY. 

